An inclusive democracy for a truly equal society

The present focus in the country should be on reducing disparities and contain the social tension and anger in certain sections of society. India is a democracy in the sense that we have elections every five years and voters turn out in large numbers in what is a generally free and fair election. However the content of democracy is getting reduced day by day. For instance once a government is elected there is hardly any interaction between the elected representative and the voters.

Earlier MPs and MLAs used to visit their constituencies more frequently than they do now. A vibrant democracy is one in which there is an active civil society, an independent judiciary and an alert press which are all essential ingredients if the right of the citizens are to be safe guarded.

What use is democracy for lakhs of people are uprooted to build a dam? Most of this happens in tribal areas and amounts to callous insensitiveness. We recently have faced such problems which we call Maoist violence.

Similarly, the Koodankulam nuclear plant has become a major cause of concern for locals whose land may be taken away or may face adverse effects of radiation. In fact nuclear power is an issue which should be fully debated in public glare. Jaitapur near Ratnagiri faces a similar problem. The question that faces us is that can we have 9% growth, large foreign direct investments, good foreign exchange reserves which all indicate a good economy side by side with lakhs and millions of people living sub-standard lives and facing the threat of being deprived of the land and houses which they have been their for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, whenever the affected people have come forward and agitated for their right the administration has crushed them with brute force. It is essential for civil right groups to agitate part so that the affected people are included in the development process.

All governments and even more so armed forces, security forces, administration, collectors, etc. are trained and tuned to quell every agitation as a law and order problem. They are reluctant to address the reasons underlying the unrest. The problem is far deeper. It is time that the government starts informal dialogue through NGOs etc. with the aggrieved groups of people to bring back harmony and goodwill which always prevailed till not long ago.